Best of a nation: France

[oliverfennell]

Who is the best ever, pound for pound?

[dempseyfire]

Come on . . .put Criqui down as an option over Mormeck.

I say Cerdan is tops.

[elmersalsa]

Marcel Cerdan's record to me is OVERRATED. the great George Carpentier fought from welterweight to heavyweight, winning European titles in all of them.

[Goodnight, Irene]

It's Cerdan, but Carpentier gives him a run for his money.

Cerdan over-rated? Not in this lifetime. Brilliant, brilliant boxer

[elmersalsa]

It's Cerdan, but Carpentier gives him a run for his money.

Cerdan over-rated? Not in this lifetime. Brilliant, brilliant boxer

I don't say he was overrated, but his quality of opposition was some kind of weak, fighting in Europe most of his career. Marcel Cerdan was a brilliant champ, no question about that. At least, He is in my top 100 all time greatest fighters list pound per pound. Tito nor Oscar did not make it. D D D

[dempseyfire]

It's Cerdan, but Carpentier gives him a run for his money.

Cerdan over-rated? Not in this lifetime. Brilliant, brilliant boxer

I don't say he was overrated, but his quality of opposition was some kind of weak, fighting in Europe most of his career. Marcel Cerdan was a brilliant champ, no question about that. At least, He is in my top 100 all time greatest fighters list pound per pound. Tito nor Oscar did not make it. D D D

You seem to be striking a double standard there, as Carpentier's opposition was also predominantly European.

George's best win was over Levinsky and after that the drop-off is big. He only beat Gunboat Smith on a low-blow foul and welter great Ted Kid Lewis had no business fighting at light heavyweight. The other times he stepped up vs world class comp he was soundly defeated.

[jimglen]

If Cerdan's Euro opposition was weak (big ???), then you'd better have a look at what Robert Villimain DID to the same Great American's - and btw Villimain vs Eric Boon 1947/48 was "Fight of the Year" in Britain...

that's the same Eric 'little' Boon the "well past it" former lightweight champion, who NEVER would have been allowed to meet the TOP Brit & Euro WW cum MW's of his time yet he does the biz with Villimain and it's a Fight of the Year... the same Villimain that wreaks havoc on the great American MW's!

the Atlantic divide among the TOP has been truely exagerated, to believe these men weren't the genuine article is absolute foolishness especially during that period!

Villimain is about 3rd - 6th on any French list.

[boxing_fanatic_87]

Marcel Cerdan